ETHANOL SUPPORTERS TO OBAMA: HEED OWN WARNING ON CLIMATE CHANGE

MAY 2014

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(Posted Thu. May 8th, 2014)

In a letter to President Obama today, the National Corn Growers Association and others urge the Administration to rethink its proposal to weaken the bipartisan Renewable Fuel Standard – a proposal that is at odds with the National Climate Assessment the White House released earlier this week.

In addition to NCGA, the letter is signed by Abengoa Bioenergy, the Advanced Ethanol Council, the Biotechnology Industry Association, DuPont, DSM, Growth Energy, Novozymes, the Renewable Fuels Association, and POET.

The companies and organizations write that the Administration’s proposal to reduce the amount of renewable fuel in gasoline and diesel would “make us more oil dependent, effectively gut the bipartisan Renewable Fuel Standard, strand billions of dollars in private investment, and send emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants sharply higher.”

The letter notes that the impact of the Administration’s proposal would increase carbon pollution by an estimated 28.2 million metric tons in 2014 alone – which is equivalent to building 7 new coal-fired power plants or cancelling every wind farm project currently under construction in the Unites States.

“The question comes down to whether we want to rely more on foreign oil, or more on clean, renewable American made biofuels,” said the authors of the letter. “We urge you to reconsider the EPA proposal and the methodology for reducing the volumes -- and allow the commonsense, bipartisan Renewable Fuel Standard to continue working as intended to create American jobs, promote American innovation, cut our reliance on foreign oil, and reduce harmful carbon pollution.”